Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Banished for a foolish mistake, sixteen-year-old Grit of Berth and Stone scorns the loss of her home, her honor, and her only ally. Only the weak worry about such things.

But war is brewing all across Chasmaria, and as a group of rebels pull Grit into their ranks, she begins to question what strength, courage, and honor really look like. When faced with a horrible truth about herself, Grit must either fight her way back to Thresh or live with the blood of the innocent on her hands.

Excerpt:

One bright, moonlit night, dreams of a golden-haired sireling disturbed Grit’s slumber. He was chasing her to the sea. She dove into the water, but it was warm, not cold.

She woke in a sweat. Throwing aside her blanket, she walked into the clear air outside the cave. She sat on a log before the fire, stoking the flames till they rose and crackled in the quiet night. As she watched the dancing flames, Grit forced her mind to empty of all her past experiences.

She willed her memories into the middle of the fire and imagined the flames consuming them, one by one, until every last memory of Thresh wafted away in the fire’s smoke. There went Turf and his taunting sneer, Dame Dara with her unjustified disdain, Sage Brakken, Sires Pierce and Swot. Sire Stone struggled to remain in her memory, circling her with an approving eye during her last training session. Slate, Seal, Oath, Talon... All of them into the fire and gone. Grit clenched her teeth and drew her dagger.

There was Dame Berth, easing her dagger from its sheath and placing it in Grit’s hands after her Twelfth Branding. “Use it honorably. This weapon wasn’t meant for spineless babes.”

Grit twirled the dagger between her fingers and aimed for the fire. Her arm swung to rid herself of Dame Berth, but at the last moment, her hand wrapped tightly around the dagger. It’s my dagger, not hers. I won’t throw away what’s rightfully mine. She sheathed her dagger and willed Dame Berth into the fire.

Yet there were some memories that refused her attempts to cast them into the flames, and no amount of screaming, “To Grit!” would compel them into the fire. Coil would not abdicate his place in her memory, and all Grit’s efforts to dethrone him served only to reinforce his position.

Coil waited in the meetinghouse, among the throng gathered for her Sixth Branding. He scowled over Dame Berth’s fence, telling Grit she’d planted the potatoes all wrong. He laughed on the training field, raising a sword too large for his thirteen-year-old frame and daring her to nick him with the dagger she’d just inherited.

He lingered in every corner of Thresh, challenging her to race him to the Western Sea. And he was in the Western Sea, his jubilant face turned toward the sun, his arms stretched out, his body unguarded.

“To Grit! To Grit! To Grit!” Her throat burned from the refrain, but still Coil was in her tree, his hands inches from her feet.

In a rage, Grit threw her stick against a tree, dumped the contents of her pack, and ran to the creek that passed near her cave. Her knuckles scraped against the rocky creek bed as she pulled the pack through the water.

“To Grit, to Grit, to Grit...” she muttered as she doused her fire.

Her fingers bleeding, she crammed her blanket into the still dripping bag and stomped into the moonlit night.

About the AuthorAs a child, Lisa Dunn fell asleep to her father’s fanciful bedtime tales and played with her own story ideas during the daylight hours. She now resides in a small southern town with her husband, four children, and an ever-changing assortment of pets. Local librarians habitually thank her for their job security.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Come take a trip and fly in the infamous and sexily scandalous Indigo Lounge and meet Keely & Mason, in FREEFALL by Zara Cox.

Thanks for stopping by and helping celebrate the latest Indigo Lounge novel, FREEFALL, by Zara Cox with the week-long blitz! One lucky reader will win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card AND a digital copy of one of Zara’s backlist titles. TWO lucky readers will win a $15 gift card and a digital copy of one of Zara’s backlist titles. We hope you have a sexy flight in the Indigo Lounge!

Synopsis:

FREEFALL (The Indigo Lounge Series) #5

Keely Benson:

Nineteen. The age I threw my life away.

Twenty-Five. The age I decided to try it a second time.

Twenty-Five plus one day. The age Benedict Mason Sinclair III walked into my life.

Mason Sinclair III:

She was a curse.

A sex bomb.

A perfect reminder thatnothaving a heart was the best choice I ever made.

Excerpt:

Orion’s Belt. Cassiopea. Ursa Minor—

I feel him approach but I keep my gaze upward, searching feverishly for that which grounds me. Refusing to let the consternation take over.

“It’s thirty-six degrees out here, without the wind chill. I figured you could use a blanket,” his deep, growly voice says behind me.

As if reminded that I’m barefoot on a beach in Montauk in late February, my body immediately sends distress signals to my brain. I shiver so hard, I nearly upend myself.

He steps closer.

“I don’t need a damn blanket. If I wanted one, I’d have brought one with me.” I lift the bottle of vintage Oenotheque Dom Perignon clutched in my right hand to my mouth and take a huge, bracing gulp.

Fuck yeah.

My best friend, Bethany Green, just got officially engaged to the catch of the century and the love of her life. Personally, Zachary Savage wasn’t my type—all that caveman, possessive shit just gets on my nerves. But they are ecstatically happy. He worships the ground she walks on, and after the year she’s had and the snippets of his past I’ve become privy to, they deserve a little, no make that a lot, of happy.

And if a small part of me was jealous of all that happiness, I intended to drawn it dead with a little help from Dom P. As soon as this intruder, the reason for me blushing like a damn schoolgirl virgin, went away.

“The reason I came out here, Einstein, was to be alone. So if you don’t mind…?” I dangle the question, seeing if he’d take the bait. If not, I intend to shove it down his throat.

“Take the blanket. Then I’ll leave,” he says again. This time I’m not sure if my shiver is to do with the ridiculously low temperatures, or his voice. Whatever.

“Fine.” I sigh and reach out my left hand behind me. I don’t want to turn around.

Because I don’t want to see his face.

The things I just said in Bethany’s kitchen weren’t embarrassing in and of themselves. Hell, I talk about my vagina all the time. I feel zero embarrassment for that part. It’s the desperation, the fear, the neediness as I’d clung to my best friend while I prattled nonsense that makes me not want to face the man behind me.

Zara Cox has been writing for almost twenty-five years but it wasn’t until nine years ago that she decided to share her love of writing sexy, gritty stories with anyone outside her close family (the over 18s anyway!). The Indigo Lounge Series is Zara’s next step in her erotic romance writing journey and she would love to hear your thoughts.

Neil Ryan was a good Navy SEAL. He was an even better detective, but when an unmarked envelope lands on his desk, long-buried secrets are resurrected and Ryan questions everything he thought he knew about justice, including who killed his mother.

Alex Black is a distraction Ryan doesn’t need—she’s loud, obnoxious and a common thief, but her eyes are haunting, her lips irresistible and Ryan happens to love her filthy mouth.

Alex is also the only one able to help Ryan find the leads he's missing. She's the only one who can lead him to the one person who has the answers he seeks, but following her could cost Ryan everything.

Secrets get told, lives get wrecked and in every shadow, the truth is hiding.

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.

She is currently living under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Nineteen-year-old Olivia Dean has the perfect reputation, the perfect boyfriend, and an increasingly perfect CV. She has it all, until Christian breaks up with her in public, calling her out as a self-gratifying sexoholic: the kind that plays solo. But Olivia doesn’t masturbate all night — the only thing she does is sleep … right?

Now all the boys on campus seem to want her attention for the absolutely wrong reason — including resident hottie, Logan Hays. He's pulling out his best moves to gain her attention, so resisting his sexy charm is hard work. With rapidly slipping grades, a disturbingly lurid reputation and demanding parents, Olivia must discover the truth behind her rumoured sleeping problem. If she doesn't, the perfect life she's worked so hard for may slip away, including the one person who has Olivia breaking all her rules — Logan.

What do you do when you’re asleep?

***

Shh! is a story about acceptance, learning to trust and in turn love while facing life's unexpected difficulties.

NB: This book is of a mild heat level, and contains no explicit sex scenes.

My thoughts as soon as finishing up Shh! is that I liked it but I didn't exactly love it. It was interesting enough to keep my interest throughout but I can't see myself reading the book again. I couldn't relate to the main character and her problem. And more importantly, I couldn't see why people would even make fun of her for it. Or maybe I could, but it's not something I would make fun of someone for. Anyways, Olivia is humiliated when her boyfriend, Christian, publicly breaks up with her for pretty much masturbating all night in her sleep. He claims he can't vet get any sleep. Rightttttt. Then she meets Logan!

Logan seems different; special even. But could Olivia even trust him when everyone on campus thinks she's a big joke. One really admirable thing about Olivia is that she holds her head in divinity despite what she's going through. I really liked that about her. If it were me causing all kinds of negative attention, I'd probably handle it by becoming a recluse. While Liv wants to do that, she somehow always manages to come out on top.

So Logan and Olivia. Obviously boy wants more but the girl doesn't. Secretly she does want him but it goes back to square one, trust. Sure, Logan is all great on the outside but what are his true intentions? I really loved their friendship and their banter. The slow build of the relationship between the two was great too.

The characters were fun to read about even if I didn't connect much to Olivia. The secondary characters were great and I look forward to reading their stories! The plot was a bit dramatic and a little unbelievable bit like I said before, it still kept me interested. The pacing was fast and easy. You'll finish the book in no time at all!

Overall, the book was okay. If your looking for a non-serious book that has some great characters and will keep you engaged; then this is for you. I personal couldn't connect with Olivia but that doesn't mean I didn't like her. Her character growth is one that enjoyed watching.

Stacey Nash writes adventure filled stories for Young Adults in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. She loves to read and write books that have a lot of adventure, a good dose of danger, a smattering of romance, and KISSING! Hailing from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, she loves nothing more than immersing herself in the beauty and culture of the local area.

She also loves to blog is a co-founder and a contributor at Aussie Owned and Read, a blog designed for readers and writers of young adult and new adult fiction.

Her debut novel Forget Me Not released with HarperCollins Impulse in 2014 and was soon followed by the sequel, Remember Me. 2015 brings an Aussie set New Adult romance, the Oxley College Saga; Shh! and Wait!

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Sadie, Darcy, and
Rosanna are living together in New York City the summer before their
freshman year of college begins. With no parents, no rules, and an
entire city to explore, these three girls are on the verge of the best
summer of their lives.

Sadie is a native New Yorker. She is
hopeful, romantic, and an eternal optimist who is ready to find her soul
mate. Then she meets her dream boy: cute, funny, and quirky in all the
right ways. The chemistry between them is unreal. Could he be the one?

Darcy
is a free spirit from SoCal with rebellious tendencies and unlimited
financial resources. Moving to New York City is just another adventure
for her. Darcy wants this summer to be all about boy adventures—nothing
serious. But how much fun is too much?

Rosanna leaves Chicago for
NYC so she can put her past behind her and reinvent herself. The only
thing standing in her way is the grand total of seventy-three cents she
has saved. Then she meets a guy who wants to show her the glamorous side
of New York—a side that she would never get to experience on her own.
If Rosanna doesn't resist, she may find herself in city love.

Told from alternating points of view, City Love
captures the moments in each girl's life when everything is thrilling,
amazing, and terrifying all at once . . . in a way it will never be
again.Review: Endings like the one in City Love are the reason I love reading. Sure, cliffhangers can be somewhat annoying but I enjoy the anticipation. It just makes me that much more excited for book two! In this wonderful contemporary romance, we follow the lives of three girls who could be more different from each other. They're roommates and they all become fast friends.

Each girl is given their own stories involving three separate men. Sadie is the hopeless romantic, Darcy is the wild child, and Rosanna is the practical one. I liked being able to be in the girl's head and loved being able to see how they dealt with love and drama. I enjoy Colasanti's contemporary novels because they're easy to relate to. Of course, she always writes swoon-worthy boys. That always helps!

Sadie. I really loved her to begin with, although at times, her views on love got on my nerves. She's one of those girl's who believes in fairy tales and the like. Which there isn't anything wrong with that in the least but the guy she meets, Austin, is too perfect. If it feels too good to be true, then it probably is. She meets Austin at her internship and the two make googly eyes at each other right away. But I knew something was very fishy about him. He never wanted to take her to his home in Jersey City. The reason? Well, obviously you need to read the book to find out what's going on!Darcy was freaking amazing! I'm not a free spirit in the least and have never been one of those girls to just "hook-up" with someone I just met and then be done with them. Darcy makes it look easy and fun. She's reeling from a bad break up from back in her hometown in California. She was in love and was totally blindsided right before she was leaving for school in New York. Her views on love are skewered; more realistic than Sadie. She has some flings in the story and then meets a street magician who is adorable. He may want more though...

Rosanna's storyline was probably my favorite. She's a poor girl who meets this insanely beautiful, rich man. Oh, did I mention that he goes against everything she believes in? Rosanna wants to make the world a better place but she just can't help herself when she falls for the man who is all about the money. I felt like Rosanna could be very judgmental at times; it's explained why she can be so closed off. I totally got her.

I, for one,can't wait to get to the second book just to see what happens with everyone. All the storylines ended in such gasp-like moments that you can't help but want to wait impatiently for the next book. If you're a young adult fan or a Susane fan, you don't want to miss out on her new series.

Review copy received from publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own!!

About the Author:Susane Colasanti is the bestselling author of When It Happens, Take Me There, Waiting for You, Something Like Fate, So Much Closer, Keep Holding On, All I Need, and Now and Forever.
She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a
master’s degree from New York University. Before becoming a full-time
author in 2007, Susane was a high school science teacher for ten years.
She lives in New York City.

The first book of Susane's City Love trilogy will be released on April 21, 2015.

Former tennis player Easton Bradbury is trying to be the best teacher she can be, trying to reach her bored students and trying to forget her past. What brought her to this stage in her life isn’t important. She can’t let it be. But now one parent-teacher meeting may be her undoing…

Meeting Tyler Marek for the first time makes it easy for Easton to see why his son is having trouble in school. The man knows how to manage businesses and wealth, not a teenage boy. Or a young teacher, for that matter, though he tries to. And yet…there is something about him that draws Easton in—a hint of vulnerability, a flash of attraction, a spark that might burn.

Wanting him is taboo. Needing him is undeniable. And his long-awaited touch will weaken Easton’s resolve—and reveal what should stay hidden…

(*STANDALONE, NO CLIFFHANGER*)

About The Author:

Penelope Douglas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Fall Away series. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master of Science in Education from Loyola University in New Orleans. Penelope lives in Las Vegas with her family.

I'm so excited to be bringing you my stop on the blog tour for BLUSHING by Katie Delhanty! So to say I love this series is a mass understatement. Like huge!! Check out my five star review of the first book HERE. I seriously fell in love from the very first page of the very first chapter in In Bloom. I hope you have read these books, because if not, you're truly missing out!!

When
Berkeley proposed I thought we’d live happily ever after—we’d plan our
wedding and he’d tour with the Brightside while I continued designing
lingerie. But instead he dropped a bombshell that turned my life upside
down: he’s set to star in a movie with, who else, his gorgeous ex,
Christina Carlton. And what’s more? I’ve been erased from the public
eye. All anyone can talk about is #Berkstina.

Berkeley wants me
to work on set as a costume designer—a dream come true—but there’s a
catch; we have to keep our relationship secret. I’m okay with not being
photographed, but the sneaking around, the lies, the love scenes; it’s
not how I imagined our engagement. I know Berkeley is passionate and
driven, but he has so much going on—I don’t know if we can take it. I’m
starting to wonder how well I know him.

I love him, but am I ready to drop everything and decide the rest of my life? To become Olivia Dalton?

Review:

"Sometimes you have to risk it all to make a dream come true. #BeBrave"

Here comes the bride...Just
kidding! Ms. Olivia Bloom is only engaged to the hottest man on the
planet. Heheh. Yup, I'm talking about Berkeley. The rock god with an
insanely sweet side to him that you can't help but swooooooon. I've been
waiting for this book for only about...oh, ever since I finished the
first book, In Bloom. I remember the feels when I delved deep into the
Hollywood life with Olivia. How lucky is it that she caught the eye of
of a rock star? How many of us wish this could happen to us? There's a
reason musician type books are my personal favorite. Blushing is a story
of love, Hollywood, crazy mean bitches, and some insanely hot &
steamy scenes from the newly engaged couple!

Berkeley
is up for a role in an up and coming movie adaption of the Keystone
series. He's actually up for the lead and all the while he's been trying
to get out of it... But here's the thing, he can't. There's a been a
contract signed and his leading lady is none other than Christina (dang I
truly dislike her...okay, I hate her!). His contract won't let him get
out of playing in the movie without losing millions. And of course
Christina doesn't want to negotiate with him. It's all or nothing.
Olivia being the sweet person and not over dramatic or jealous, pushes
Berkeley to do the movie or else he may regret it for the rest of his
life.

"The kiss is slow and sweet and grateful. I squeeze
his face in my hands, slowly becoming aware of everyone else on the
movie set, watching us."

Well, he decides to take the movie
and make Liv an assistant costume designer. Bad news though, she has to
change her name and appearance, all in the name of love. And losing out
on lots of money of the media were to find out that she and Berkeley are
engaged. This is cause for sneaking around like teenagers. Will the two
be able to handle the pressure? How much can one take until it's too
much and you start questioning the others motivations?

There is
some serious angst and drama in Blushing. Berkeley and Olivia will be
tested beyond belief. It has you wondering if their love is truly meant
to be. If it's any consolation I think I fell more in love with ex story
and characters. I'm sure it's not easy being linked to a mega star and I
think it takes a special kind of someone to put up with it. I know for a
fact I probably wouldn't be one of those specials ones. Which is
precisely why I'd rather read about it instead. Boys in books ARE
better, right?

Olivia. Liv. Whatever you call her, she's an
awesome female lead. I love her innocence & purity in a world full
of greed & assholery. (Yes, I just made up a word!) you can see the
light shining from within her; no wonder Berkeley has fallen head over
heels in love with her!

"I mean, I would prefer to make out
with Tux Nicholas, but even I am in love with you. And men will fall in
love with you every day for the rest of your life.-Parker

Overall,
I think that the book couldn't have been better and I fully recommend
picking up anything & everything that involves the Brightside
series. Liv, Berkeley, and gang feel like life long friends. I'll be sad
when I have to say goodbye to them.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?""I think so. And you know it was always only you," he says, those

About the Author:

Katie is a fashion designer
turned novelist. She graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from
UCLA and a Professional Designation in Fashion Design from FIDM. It
never occurred to her that she was a writer until an economic crisis
induced career shift from lingerie designer to ecommerce webmistress led
her to start the company blog. Not being an expert in lingerie, she
decided to write the blog as a fictional serial starring a girl named
Olivia Bloom who worked for the lingerie line. And that’s when Katie
fell in love with storytelling. She hasn’t looked back since. Katie
lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

The World Needs More Love Letters: All-in-One Stationery and Envelopes by Heather Brencher

Additional Giveaway from yours truly!

Comment below with a cocktail fit for a bride! (or anyone for that matter)

What would be some fun games to play?

How many strippers do you think is good for a party?

Winner will receive this:

(Has three ARCS and assorted swag. Remember just comment below one of the questions from above. That's it!) So just to clarify, there are TWO giveaways going on. One for the blog tour and one from me! Make sure you enter both :)

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